Featuring some of the most beautiful and historical libraries in the world, including Vatican Apostolic Library and Trinity College Library, this is a must-read item for library lovers and bibliophiles!

The book showcases numerous impressive photographs of the most beautiful and finest libraries in the world taken by an Italian photographer Massimo Listri, who is well-known for his large-scale images of majestic interior spaces. Through Listri’s spectacular artistic perspective, the interior spaces, ceiling frescos, marble floors and statues, spiraling staircases, decorations and fittings of these beautiful libraries located in Europe and America are glamorously revealed to the readers’ eyes. Listri symmetrically composes the interior spaces of the libraries through his immersive photographs to lead readers into the framed pictorial space, cultivating a sense of awe while appreciating the intricacy and magnificence of those grand architectures. These spectacular photographs showcase the unique atmosphere and exquisite design details of the libraries, proving them truly the architectural and historical wonders of the world.

Accompanying the photographs of the most beautiful libraries are detailed descriptions of the libraries including history, founding year, holdings, type of library, collection highlights, as well as images of some rare manuscripts of the libraries, facilitating library lovers to plan their trips to visit these libraries. The book also has an important preface written by Georg Ruppelt, a German librarian and scholar, who remarks the origin of libraries; how they evolved from the archives of cuneiform clay tablets, the history of some of the most ancient libraries in the world, and how libraries were evolving through time, as well as their changing functions in different eras.